Unwanted Alliance
by MacGateFan
Summary: There has been no contact from Earth for two years. The Atlantis team visits a planet that seems interested in an alliance. Except for a select few, of course. SW. Shep Whump!


Title: Unwanted Alliance

Rating: PG

Author: MacGateFan

Notes: This is AU, Shep/Weir.

Disclaimers: Nope, they're not mine.

* * *

"So do you want me to take care of it or not?" the man asked in annoyance.

The newcomers who had arrived mere days ago seemed to have convinced the government they were there to help, but he knew better. He knew they would be just like the others who offered to help. The others who nearly destroyed his people.

These people would pay dearly because he knew what they were planning. He would start with their military leader. He would prove to his government that he was not afraid to stand up for his beliefs.

His companion shook his head. "No, we will do nothing, Josiah. These people seem sincere and we will continue to allow them to help us as the government asks."

Josiah glared at him. "Merrick, this is madness and you know it! They will kill us all!"

Before Merrick could reply, Josiah brandished a knife and stabbed the other man in his chest. He grinned sardonically as Merrick fell to his knees, a look of shock in his eyes. "I am sorry it had to come to this, my brother, but you know as well as I do that we cannot ignore the plight our people look to face again."

* * *

Elizabeth Weir took a deep breath as she stepped onto the pier. M1X555 was a planet full of peaceful people and not only were they open to trade, but they were also looking for allies against the Wraith.

Turning at the sound of footsteps, she saw Rodney slowly walking over to her. "You do realize that this pier is four planks of wood being held together by four logs, right? It could fall at any minute."

"Yes, Rodney", she replied with a smile. "And that's why you're currently standing on it with me."

"Don't even let me think about it. Since you turned off your radio, though, I guess you didn't realize that it's almost time for the big feast. I have been eating as little as possible, if only to stave off a hyperglycemic reaction, so I can enjoy the food tonight."

Elizabeth laughed. "Only you, Rodney. I'm just waiting for John to return from his boat trip. He should be back soon."

"That man isn't afraid of anything," Rodney said, shaking his head. Rodney hated boats ever since his Dad read Moby Dick to him when he was little.

He glanced over at Elizabeth. Ever since John had been found after Kolya's kidnapping and Wraith torture, his two friends had become inseparable. In fact, rumors had started as to the nature of their relationship.

Rodney wasn't about to judge them. If two people ever deserved to be together it was John and Elizabeth. "What?" he asked when he noticed Elizabeth staring at him.

"Nothing, Rodney. Why don't you head back to the convention center? It looks like they'll be back to the pier in a few minutes."

Not even a second lapsed between Elizabeth's response and the explosion that verberated all around them. Elizabeth's heart thundered in her chest as she lifted her head to see fire and smoke eminating from the small boat John had been on.

"No!" she cried, leaping from the pier.

"Elizabeth!" Rodney quickly called Ronon and Teyla, then jumped in after her. Just as he made it to her, another explosion went off. "Elizabeth," Rodney said again, ignoring the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. "It's... it's too late."

"No! He has to be all right! John!"

Rodney was finally able to pull her towards the shore as Elizabeth cried. Once arriving back on land, Ronon helped her to her feet, allowing her to cry into his chest. Teyla reached down to help Rodney.

"Are you all right?" she asked him.

"Ask me again later," Rodney replied, staring at the flames rising from the boat.

* * *

John grinned as the sea air whipped around him. He hadn't been on a boat since he was 10 and he missed it. If he hadn't loved flying more, he would have joined the Navy. John turned when he felt eyes on him.

"You are enjoying yourself, yes, Colonel John?"

John nodded. "Definitely, Marcus, thanks."

Marcus smiled. He liked John and his friends because they wanted to help the people of his planet. So when John expressed admiration for Marcus' boat, he jumped at the opportunity to take him on a trip around the lake.

But Marcus didn't know he had a stowaway on board. The man in question was in the engine room setting charges up. Merrick grinned once he was finished. This would teach strangers to come to their world and destroy them.

John could see Elizabeth from his perch on top of the boat. He tapped his radio when she called him. _"Having fun?"_ she asked.

"A blast, although I think it'd be more fun if you came," John replied, "Marcus is a nice guy and all, but he's not you."

Elizabeth chuckled. _"I'll take that as a compliment. It's almost time for the feast."_

"Yeah. We'll be heading back in a few," John replied. "Wait for me?"

_"Will do,"_ Elizabeth said.

John closed the connection and turned just in time to see the butt of a gun coming straight for his head. He was able to duck but not before the gun came down on him and knocked him senseless.

A foot pressed into the middle of this back. "Sheppard, your people are not welcome here. This is just a warning for them, but it will be your death."

"Colonel John!" he heard Marcus exclaim, but it was immediately followed by a gunshot.

John regained his senses a moment later to see Marcus' dead eyes staring at him and someone leaping off the side of the boat. Suddenly an explosion erupted right beneath his feet and he was flying towards the bow.

John landed on the deck with a thud, feeling a sharp stab beneath his left ribcage. He did not like that one bit and even though it was always a bad idea to remove whatever stabbed you, he wasn't relishing sinking with the ship.

Slowly and carefully, John lifted himself from the floor, grunting in pain. He was happy to note that the wound wasn't deep even though it hurt like hell. But he was going to have to live with it for the moment. John's first priority was to get off that boat!

He made it to the edge and saw the distance from the shore wasn't more than ten feet. With a deep breath, John stepped onto the railing and jumped into the water. He ignored the overly freezing temperature and the fact that the boat behind him was burning to a crisp and focused on swimming.

It seemed like forever, but John finally arrived on the shore... and not a moment too soon because that's when the explosion really let loose. John sat up, reaching for his radio, only to find it was gone.

* * *

"Dr. Weir."

"Minister," Elizabeth replied, standing up. "Thank you for seeing me. As you can imagine, we are all deeply concerned about Colonel Sheppard and Marcus."

He nodded. "As am I, Doctor. We have diving experts and search parties assembling right now. If you would like to join them, you are more than welcome."

"Yes, I believe we would, Minister, thank you."

Ronon was seething as they headed to the boat that would take them to the other shore. Whoever did this was going to pay. He knew there was something off about that Marcus guy and if he were responsible for what happened...

He calmed down somewhat when he felt Teyla's hand on his shoulder. "Do not let the anger consume you, Ronon," she said. "Allow it to help you find Colonel Sheppard."

Rodney had since then pulled out a lifesigns detector. "Elizabeth!" he said, running up to her. "There are two dots over there. One of them has to be Sheppard."

Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief as the boarded the boat. "That's good to hear, Rodney."

Ten minutes later they were on the opposite shore and Ronon immediately began tracking the trail of blood that was mixed with the sand. Elizabeth's heart thundered in her chest as she followed the Satedan and the trail of blood that was getting darker.

One of the divers ran up to the Minister. "Sir, we found Marcus. He did not survive but the medics say he was not killed by the explosion or drowning."

"How then?"

"He was shot, Sir."

Elizabeth and Rodney stopped and turned to face the medic. "Shot? Then who's out there with Sheppard?" Rodney asked, glancing down at the LSD.

* * *

John fell heavily to the ground, attempting to catch his breath. He had no clue why this crazy guy killed Marcus and was now in the process of killing him since the boat explosion didn't work. And of course, since he had lost his radio along the way, it meant everyone thought he was dead.

John knew he had to move when he heard the man getting closer. He had just gotten to one knee when an arm wrapped around his neck. "I did tell you I was going to kill you, didn't I?" he asked, squeezing hard.

"You did," John gasped out, feeling the cold steel of a weapon on his skin, "but I don't listen well. Just ask my boss."

Dark spots began to dance in his vision and John knew that if he didn't do anything he was going to die. Mustering all the strength he could, John swung his elbow angrily into the man's stomach. His grip loosened and John took the opportunity to run.

And forgot about the weapon.

John paused in his tracks when the weapon went off and he slowly turned around, arms raised. "Look, I have no clue what your problem is, but I can assure you it wasn't my fault. It couldn't be since I don't even know you and I haven't been here longer than a day."

Merrick stared at John for a moment, almost as if he were contemplating the man's words. Instead, he shook his head with a laugh. "As far as I'm concerned, all you off-worlders are to blame."

"That's not very nice," John replied, suddenly feeling tired.

"You okay?" Merrick asked mockingly, stepping up to John and forcing him onto his knees. "Maybe it's time to put you out of your misery."

John did not dignify the man with a response. He merely closed his eyes, more from the nausea than anything, as Merrick cocked the weapon.

'I love you, Elizabeth,' he thought.

However the pain never came. Instead he heard the familiar whie of Ronon's stunner. "Sheppard!"

"Cutting it close, huh, big guy?"

"Sorry about that," he replied, helping John to his feet. "You okay?"

"Been better. Is Elizabeth?"

Ronon nodded. "Worried about you, though. It took some convincing for her to stay back with Teyla and McKay. She was ready to burst through the trees to find you."

"I wouldn't doubt it. Let's get out of here then."

Elizabeth refrained from rushing up to John because he seemed to be concentrating on hiding the pain he was feeling and she didn't want to injure him further. She blinked when she heard Ronon referring to the man who had attacked John.

The Minister nodded and had his men go after him. "He will be punished, Colonel Sheppard, I assure you."

John shook his head. "Minister, he doesn't need punishment, what he and maybe some of your other people need, is to learn how not to live in fear. That's what this was about. He was afraid, as allies, we would turn on your people and destroy you."

"Thank you, Colonel. Thank you for your council." He noticed how exhausted seemed to be. Please, allow my medics to tend to your wounds before we begin our journey back to our shores."

As soon as the medics were able to make John comfortable for the bumpy wagon ride back to the city, Elizabeth moved to sit next to him, taking his hand in hers. She watched as he slept, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead.

"'Lizabeth?" John said.

Elizabeth frowned when his eyebrows creased in pain. "I'm here, John. We'll be home soon and Carson will help you get better."

"Feel tired."

"I know you do, so you just go ahead and rest."

"K. Love you."

"I love you too, John."

* * *

"How's he doing today, Carson?"

The doctor looked up the chart he was writing in and smiled. "Elizabeth. He's doing much better, Love," Carson replied.

The last week had been critical. John lost more blood than the Minister's medics realized and infection had set in. His temperature had spiked to 103 degrees causing delirium and seizures. Carson couldn't remember the last time he had been so scared for someone.

No doubt Elizabeth had been just as scared. Carson knew that relationships were starting to form. Deeper relationships that would normally be frowned upon, but seeing as there had been no contact with Earth for nearly two years, they had to make an exception.

"Is it all right if I sit with him?"

Carson nodded. "I just finished examining him and he was awake. A bit tired, but that's to be expected. Go on and visit with him."

Elizabeth smiled and headed out to John's bedside. His eyes were closed and looked like a little boy. Suddenly she was rewarded with hazel staring right back at her. "Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer."

"Of course it will," Elizabeth said with a chuckle, taking his hand. "However I prefer the real thing."

"Me too. How long was I out of it?"

Elizabeth's expression became serious. "It was a week, John! I have never been so scared in all my life. We all thought we were going to lose you."

"It was that bad, huh?" he asked. "I'm sorry. I never should have gone out on that boat. Poor Marcus!"

She caressed his cheek. "Hey, what happened to him was not your fault! No one could have predicted that Merrick was going to set explosive charges on your boat and kill Marcus." Elizabeth paused. "I know you would have sacrificed yourself for him."

"I would have."

The pair was silent for a few moments, just taking in one another. They were broken from their trance by the sound of Rodney's voice filter through the entire infirmary. "Why didn't you tell me he was awake, Carson!"

Soon Rodney McKay was standing before them and he realized why he hadn't been informed yet. "Oh. Hey. Good to see you're awake. The soldiers you have a round here don't listen to a word I say and I am sick of dealing with them."

"I'm sure Carson has other plans for me in the next few weeks so you just might have to keep dealing with them on your own," John replied.

"Carson!" Rodney exclaimed, rushing back into the physician's office.

"C'mere," he said to Elizabeth, pulling her close to him.

Elizabeth's lips were touching his. They were warm and inviting and he didn't want to move away from them, but he had to come up for air. He smiled when they pulled apart. "Still love you, Elizabeth."

"I still love you too, John."


End file.
